Love, Life, and Light
by N.M.B.4521
Summary: Quinn's graduation from Yale involved quite a few surprises...


**This story is inspired by the fact that I just realized 20 minutes ago that all the Glee kids would be graduating from college this season! Ahh! So I decided to write a story about my favorite character, Quinn Fabray, graduating from Yale, and of course she's at the top of her class…**

Quinn Fabray gazes into her floor-to-ceiling mirror and admires her reflection (of course she would never admit that out loud though). She looks at her vivid black robe and her navy blue sash hanging around her neck, her short blond hair and deep green eyes with admiration. I really did it. I can't believe I made it here. Graduating from my dream school, and at the top of my class no less! Quinn thinks as she continues to stare in disbelief at her mirror.

She is interrupted from her inner monologue when a pair of muscular arms drapes themselves around her waist, and a military-shaved head rests on her shoulders. Quinn looks at her boyfriend of four years with eyes full of love and life and light. She looks at the way his calloused hands firmly secure her waist in his arms, and the way that his warm hazel eyes gazed into her fierce green ones.

"I'm damn proud of you, you know that, Q?" He said smirking, pressing a kiss with hints of a smile to her temple, straitening himself out so that he towered over her short frame once again.

"Thank you, Puck" She said lovingly, "You know something, I'm proud of you too." She said mischievously.

"Now why is that, Quinnie dear?" He said with his trademark Puckerman grin.

"For sticking with me this long despite my neurotic tendencies." She said laughing. They both started chuckling again, it was not long before the pair enveloped one another in an embrace so warm, and right that it was like fate letting them know that this was where they were supposed to be right then. Holding each other, without ever wanting to let go.

"Is your speech all ready to go?" Puck murmured against Quinn's soft golden hair. He could feel her nod underneath his lips. He pulled away from their embrace, much to Quinn's dismay. "Then I guess we better get going! Someone's gotta make the valedictorian speech at a fancy Ivy league school by the name of Yale University! And I think that person is you, my dear Q!" Puck exclaimed proudly. Puck's declaration made Quinn laugh, a kind of laugh that made her sound like an angel, an angel that constantly brought light wherever it went. "Let's get going, Miss graduate!", Puck said excitedly as he led Quinn out the door. "Hold on, I'll be right there!" he said as she was halfway down the hallway of their apartment building. And with that, he briskly walked into the bedroom the two lovebirds shared and reached into his bottom dresser drawer and pulled out a small black box which he then shoved deep into his pocket.

Puck wasn't an extremely religious person, but he said a quick prayer as he walked out the door to follow Quinn.

"Now ladies and gentleman, let's give a warm welcome to Yale's graduating class of 2016's valedictorian, Quinn Fabray!" The large audience applauded loudly as Quinn walked up onto the stage. It briefly reminded her of all of the performances she did while she was in Glee club.

As she took center stage in front of the microphone the audience started to settle down. She scanned the crowd, looking for Puck, when she sees him in the middle of the congregation, she also sees an all-too-familiar face smiling next to him. Someone with dark hair, dark eyes, a wide smile, and a small girl with blonde hair and green eyes resting on her hip. No way, this isn't freaking real. Quinn thinks, absolutely awestruck. As much as she'd love to admire Beth's face all day long, she had a speech to recite!

"Hi everybody, I'm Quinn Fabray. I'm going to tell you the story of a once lost girl who found her way and had her dreams come true. This story starts off with a little girl with blond hair and green eyes who was seen as a princess within her extremely Christian family. She was groomed to be perfect, absolutely nothing less than an angel. When this girl was 16 years old however, she made a very bad mistake: she got pregnant with her boyfriend's best friend. When her parents found out, they kicked her out. When her boyfriend found out he wasn't the father, he kicked her out of his home as well. When her secret got out to the school, she lost her friends, her popularity, and her reputation. But at the end of the year, she gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl the world has ever known, one with green eyes and blonde hair looking just like her mother. She was given up for adoption so she could have the best life possible. Over the next few years the teenager overcame many things: a psychotic plan to get her child back, which she later found out was due to postpartum depression, a crippling disability, literally, and she made it out of a town where no one ever amounted to anything. This girl turned her life around and persevered and she was able to get into the school of her dreams, Yale University.

"This girl's name is Quinn Fabray. Plot twist, am I right?" She questioned the audience, who chuckled lightly. "I am living proof that shows that if you struggle, if you suffer, if you face adversity, you must always have the courage to persevere. You must be strong and realize that sometimes you just need to let go of the past in order to start your future; and that way, your dreams can come true." Quinn bowed her head and took a step away from the microphone to signify that her speech was finished. The crowed roared with applause and whistles and Quinn felt herself beam with pride. So this is what a standing O feels like. Its like I'm Rachel Berry for Pete's sake! Quinn chuckled inwardly. She looked at the audience to the spot where Puck and Shelby and Beth were standing while she was reciting her speech. Her gaze met Puck's eyes and they both gave each other matching winks.

"Congratulations to the Yale University graduating class of 2016!" With that, all the graduates threw their caps into the air, signifying that they were thereby done with school. After saying quick goodbyes to her friends, all of whom were surprised by the information she gave out in her speech, and promising to keep in touch, Quinn scampered over to where she knew Puck was awaiting her arrival with Shelby and their daughter, Beth.

She finally found them and as soon as she saw Puck she ran into his arms and he spun her around like they hadn't seen each other in years. They both murmured a countless amount of "I love yous" into each other before they finally let go. As soon as they let go, Quinn composed herself and found that she was heading over to a small six-year-old girl that looked identical to her. With an approving glance at Shelby, Quinn crouched down in front of the small girl and said, "Hi Bethie, I'm-"

"I know who you are." Beth interrupted her with an air of confident knowingness. "You are Quinn, my birth mommy. My mommy's name is Shelby, and she adopted me because you and Daddy were too young to give me all the things I might want. I know that you loved me so much that you had to let go in order for me to be happy. And Daddy called my mommy and said that today was a special day for you and he wanted to know if we could come."

Quinn looked astonishingly at her daughter in front of her with tears in her eyes. How can she be so wise so young? All she could do was gape at Beth for a minute or two before she could say, "I couldn't have said it better myself.". The four of them chuckled happily, relieved that some of the awkward tension was quickly diminishing. The mother-daughter pair embraced in a hug that reeked of love. When the two stood up, Quinn went to speak to Shelby quietly.

"Hi Shelby," the young girl said awkwardly, "I just want to say thank you for bringing Beth here, it means so much to me. I also want to say hat I'm sorry for all the crap I did a few years ago. As you may have heard, in senior year after the incident, I went to a doctor and I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and I was put on some medication. And I know that's no excuse and I'm really very sor-"

"Don't even worry about it, I've forgiven you a long time ago. You know I suspected something like that, but you know the past is in the past, right? Let's move on. By the way, that was a wonderful speech you made, I'm very proud of you." The older woman pulled Quinn into a tight hug that she was sure she gave Beth every night before she went to bed.

Quinn was about to say something else when she heard Puck give a rather loud "ahem". He took Beth's hand and walked themselves over by Quinn's feet. Puck kneeled down and took Quinn's hand in his, and then he gave Beth a little nudge. "Daddy told me to give this to you," said the pint-sized angelic girl. She pulled a small black box out from behind her back and handed it to Quinn and then skipped back a few feet away to Shelby. Quinn gave Puck a questioning look and raised her infamous brow before she opened the little box and was amazed. She took an audible gasp at what the contents were: a platinum shining engagement ring.

Before she could speak, Puck spoke. "Quinn, I love you with all my heart. There is nothing about you that doesn't make me swoon. The way that when you brush your teeth in the morning you dance along to the radio that's playing in the background. Or the way you try to fight off sleep when we're watching one of my super hero movies. And especially the way that whenever you eat an ice-cream cone you always get some on your nose. I love you, we fit right. We were never any good when we were with other people. And we could never find the right time for us. So what I want is for us to never spend a day without each other, because I honestly can't function without you by my side. Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" He asked with pure adoration in his eyes.

"Yes. Yes. A million times yes!" Quinn screamed giddily without a moment's hesitation. She kissed his dopey face and he slid the gleaming ring on her finger. Those who overheard the heartfelt proposal started cheering for the happily engaged couple.

Puck picked up his new fiancée bridal style and they kissed as if they were lost in the desert searching for hydration. As if they were fish needing to breathe in the ocean. As if they were a baby searching for that first breath of life. Together they were right and they matched, with all their scars and heartbreaks and broken down paths, they found each other and together they will remain. And they were kissing and so full of love and life and light that they looked like they belonged in one of those cheesy romantic movies because they are two hopelessly in love people, destined to be together by fate.


End file.
